The Forgotten Princess

This is a story blog. Credits and details will follow the story. Warning, it’s a bit of a sad tale.

In a legend about a far away land called Lucica, there was a beautiful queen who had ruled her kingdom peacefully with grace and dignity for more than two decades. Queen Justina had lost her husband ten years prior, and their daughter, Mairwen was about to come of age and suitors had begun to seek her hand in marriage. A widowed king from a neighboring kingdom desperately wanted to marry the beautiful Mairwen. Mairwen, however, was determined to marry for love, not convenience. She did not like King Amon, and did not wish to be his Queen. Beyond this, as her mother’s only heir, she wanted to remain in her own kingdom, and King Amon would have taken her to his kingdom to become the stepmother for his young daughter Amme. The shallow young Amme did not like Mairwen, as she was jealous of her would-be stepmother’s beauty, and she did all she could to poison her father’s heart against Mairwen.

But Mairwen paid little attention to Amon or Amee, for Mairwen’s rebellious heart had fallen in love with a commoner named Xander. Xander’s parents had died when he was just 13, leaving him the head of house for his five younger siblings. Xander rose to the challenge, becoming a blacksmith’s apprentice while raising his brothers and sisters. When he and Mairwen met, it was immediately obvious they shared a mutual attraction, but not one based on appearances. No, Mairwen admired the young man who was raising his siblings. She felt his strength of character would someday make him a wonderful king. Xander admired Mairwen’s kindness towards everyone, regardless of their class or status in Lucica. She treated him no differently than anyone else, and while he saw her outer beauty, it was the inner beauty that found him falling in love with the Princess he dared not believe he could ever call his wife. But Mairwen’s mind – and heart – was set on Xander, and she begged Justina for a special exception to the law that stated she must marry royalty. Justina made no promises, but she loved her daughter dearly, and trusted her instincts. She agreed to meet young Xander, and saw in him what her fiery daughter did, and agreed to the union.

Mairwen and Xander’s wedding day arrived, and in the castle by the sea, dawn arrived with a gentle drizzle that faded to reveal the most beautiful rainbow. Justina told Mairwen this was a sign of great fortune, and evidence that her union would be blessed. She did not wish to ruin her daughter’s wedding day with sorrowful news, but she had been told just the day before that her remaining time was counted in mere months. She trusted Xander to care for her daughter, and she knew Mairwen’s good nature and powerful desire to do what was right would leave Lucica in good hands. The wedding was beautiful, with hundreds of white doves released as Xander and Mairwen shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Unbeknownst to all, King Amon was not prepared to let Mairwen go so easily. Despite his daughter’s protests, he was determined to have her as his. But then Princess Amme heard that Mairwen was to marry a commoner, and knowing her father’s disgust and disregard for common folk, brought this news to him gleefully, for she believed it would finally free her father of his obsession. Amme judged wrong, however. It merely enraged Amon, while fueling his obsession with the beautiful Princess Mairwen.

Amon turned to a dark sorceress to exact revenge on Mairwen and her kingdom. Endora was delighted to help, but her assistance came at a steep price. Amon must sacrifice his only child, and give her to the evil Endora. Amon did not hesitate, and sent his daughter Amme to Endora. Amme was spoiled and selfish, but she also loved her father and his betrayal brought her to tears… the first genuine tears she’d ever cried in her short life. Endora knew this would happen, and bottled the tears carefully. She then locked Amme in a dark dungeon, forcing the child to live out her days without sunlight, food or fresh water. Amme died of loneliness and heartbreak a mere month after her father’s guards had delivered her to the clutches of the evil witch.

Meanwhile, Endora bided her time. She waited for Justina’s illness to worsen, and then cursed the kingdom of Lucica with an outbreak of a sickness the likes of which no one had before seen, using a potion concocted with the tears of Princess Amme. The apothecaries were helpless to find a treatment, let alone a cure. Before long, the illness spread to the castle, though oddly neither Princess Mairwen or her new Prince became ill. But the cursed affliction hit the already weakened Justina, and she was in agonizing pain. Mairwen sat beside her mother, wiping her brow of the fever’s sweat and whispering quiet words of comfort. She told her mother of the blessed news she’d just received. Mairwen was with child. Justina smiled weakly at this news, then took her final breath.

Mairwen’s grief was overwhelming, but she thought of Xander, of how at such a young age he had to take over as both mother and father and sole provider for his five siblings (all of whom now resided in the castle). She knew Lucica and her people needed her strength, so with great sorrow she announced the death of her mother and it was decreed her coronation should take place the next morning. She dressed in the beautiful green gown that her mother had worn on her own coronation day. The gown glittered in the sunlight, shimmering like the waves crashing on the rocks beyond the castle walls.

Endora did not understand why her spell didn’t work on Xander or Mairwen. Her magic had never failed before, and though the people of Lucica struggled in vain to fight against the magical illness, Endora’s anger flared. In a furious fit of rage, she used her power to break the tower off the castle just as the crowds were to celebrate Mairwen’s coronation. She forced the tower far out to sea, well beyond the reach of the best of the kingdom’s small naval fleet. But the power required for this spell left Endora weak, and Xander forced the devious King Amon to reveal the source of both his wife’s banishment and the kingdom’s horrible affliction. He sought Endora out at great peril and, using the silver, fire forged blade that had belonged to Mairwen’s father King Edmund, Xander stabbed the evil sorceress through her heart. Immediately, the illness afflicting the people of Lucica vanished, and though many lives had been lost, those still suffering were returned to good health.

But nothing could bring back his fair Mairwen. Xander searched for her himself, for years. His military captains searched. But Mairwen’s turret was nowhere to be found. Mairwen could not understand what had happened, and though she believed Xander would never leave her or their unborn child to die, she could no longer fight the feelings of abandonment after months of isolation. She gave birth alone, to a baby boy she called Edmund Xander, in honor of her father and husband. She wrapped the babe in the train of her gown, and knowing she could not possibly hope to keep him alive, called upon sea birds to take him back to Lucica with a note attached, written in her own blood, that simply read, please care for our son… all my love, Mairwen. As the birds carried her child away to safety, she cried out in pain and sorrow; a princess lost to the sea.

Despite her certainty that she’d been forgotten and abandoned, her people did not forget her. Xander raised Prince Edmund, until their son was old enough to be crowned King, and Edmund ruled with the same wisdom and kindness as his grandmother before him. Mairwen’s bravery and strength became a legend passed down through generations, and she became the patron saint to sailors, and Lucica was renamed Mairwen in her memory. But the poor princess could never know how beloved she was, how mourned. She died alone in her turret, a year to the day after being forced from her home by the evil Endora’s violent ire.

Still, it is said that even today, thousands of years later, sailors hear her cries of anguish as they sail past the turret in the sea. Yet the townsfolk of Mairwen live peacefully, and their flag, which features two white doves flying over a beautiful rainbow, waves in the gentle sea breezes over the town square.

The End.

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This entire post and story was born of inspiration that struck when I saw the incredible Kimbra gown Just Because released for Uber. Uber’s theme this round is Etheral and I love it. My LeLutka applier is from Glam Affair and my hair is Truth’s release, both also from Uber. My gorgeous engagement/wedding ring combo is Cherish by Cae. As always, it includes a hud with multiple metal options, gem options and band options.

I also happened to buy this incredible prop from Exposeur. If you haven’t heard, Exposeur has an amazing sale going on, designed to raise fund to help RubyStarlight Writer’s ill kitties. You can see her Flickr post about that here. Suffice it to say, Ruby’s cats are dealing with medical issues, and she is trying to raise funds to help get them the care they need. Any pet owner knows this is the worst nightmare… fear for the life and health of your beloved baby. So please, if you’re able to, go buy out Ruby’s store. This incredible prop set – along with many others – can currently be bought for just L$100, and they’re so detailed and well worth the money, plus you’ll be helping Chloe and Brookie, too. All regular poses and gachas are also on sale.